Personal information manager (PIM) software applications are computer programs which allow a user to maintain and organize various types of personal information and which provide electronic mail (email) functionality. PIM software applications (or simply “PIM applications”) typically maintain personal information in distinct information categories. The information categories that are maintained usually include an email message inbox, an email message outbox, a set of previously transmitted email messages or “sent items”, an address book containing contact information, a scheduling calendar (or i.e. a set of appointments, notes, and a list of tasks to be completed. Microsoft Outlook™ is an example of a PIM software application. PIM applications may be designed for execution by a wireless communication device, such as a two-way paging device, a Windows CE operating system based device, a PalmOS device, a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) enabled mobile telephone, or the like.
Within an information category of a PIM application, an individual data item, such as an email message, contact, or appointment (as appropriate), may be stored in the form of a data record. The format of the data record may be PIM application-specific. A PIM application may include an application programming interface (API) to allow other programs to interact with the PIM application or to access information stored within one or more information categories. Because data record formats and APIs may vary from PIM application to PIM application, however, it may be difficult to develop software that is capable of interacting with different PIM applications or different types of wireless communication devices.
A solution which addresses this problem would be desirable.